


The Fallen Hero

by Muffin_Paradise



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst and Tragedy, Betrayal, Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Bottom Harry Potter, Boys In Love, Canonical Character Death, Cedric Diggory Lives, Cedric Diggory-centric, Dark Cedric - Freeform, Death, Grief/Mourning, Harry is dead, Hedric, Hiatus, M/M, Mild Insane Cedric Diggory, Mpreg, On Hiatus, Past Child Abuse, Protective Cedric Diggory, Sacrifice, Sad Ending, Soulmates, Top Cedric Diggory, Triwizard Tournament, True Love, True Mates, Voldemort is sadic, Yule Ball (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-01-16 19:54:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21276797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Muffin_Paradise/pseuds/Muffin_Paradise
Summary: ------- ON HIATUS -------People said Cedric had become a monster and he agreed without remorse.But people didn't ask how, they didn't ask why.And that was the story of how he, who was once considered the Hufflepuff golden boy, a champion and "hero" later become the “villain”.Of how he loved and adored someone and how he had lost him.Of how people betrayed him... And how he took revenge on everyone.





	1. The Road That Led Him Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forget that shit that happened in "Cursed Child" in which Cedric became a death eater for a stupid reason (like what?! my pure boy would NEVER do that). 
> 
> Here he becomes "evil", but he has plenty motives for his actions... It will be a beautiful love story, with a tragic ending.

** _DIGGORY: THE FALLEN HERO_ **

** _by M. Carneirus, 'Daily Prophet' columnist_ **

_“It's hard for me to believe…” says Filius Flitwick, a retired professor of Charms and ex-Head of Ravenclaw House in Hogwarts “…that of all my students, Cedric Diggory would become what he is today. During all the years I taught him, I never saw any trace of malice, cruelty and evilness... If existed, perhaps it was so well guarded that even he wasn’t aware of it himself. Or maybe he knew and hid it. ”_

_Pomona Sprout, at the time professor of Herbology and ex-Head of Hufflepuff House said years later that "...Cedric was a perfect student and an example to his fellow Hufflepuffs. He had never given me a drop of work, just immense pride, always gifted us with his kindness, sweetness, honesty and hard work. What he has become has broken my heart and is something I’ll never understand.”_

_Cedric Phillip Diggory had a promising start: he was described as the handsomest boy in Hogwarts with chiseled features, bright gray eyes and athletic body. Very intelligent, he was a monitor, captain of his Quidditch team playing as a seeker, he had perfect grades and exemplary behavior. On his sixth year, he was sorted as a Hogwarts champion in the Triwizard Tournament, position in which would share to Harry Potter, to 15 years ago._

_But over the years the Hufflepuff golden boy with a promising future had turned out to be a cruel cold-blooded, ruthless, violent killer, not sparing those who crossed his path, killing muggles and wizards without hesitation. Today, he poses to the magical world a threat just as _ _He-Who-Must Not-Be-Named_ _ at the beginning of his reign of terror. His once loving and caring family is now in self-imposed exile because of the shame that the surname Diggory had come to be transformed...”_

The flame from the single candle in which illuminated the inhospitable accommodation had been extinguished by the cold wind coming from the half-open window, making him to reignite it with his wand while his eyes to wander to nothing as the candle light made everything seen like a blur.

It was late, probably 2 a.m. and once again he was rereading that headline from the 'Daily Prophet' published three months ago, the paper beginning to crumble from being folded and unfolded, just as the ink in the letters began to fade. With a sigh, he set the publication aside, rising from the small makeshift bed that made a metallic crack every time he moved.

He didn't care. In recent years his sleep habits have been reduced to almost nothing, sleeping only when his exhausted body begged for some rest.

At times like this, he would open a bottle of firewhiskey mixed with a generous dose of dreamless sleep potion and drinking it until his stomach began to burn and he loose his consciences... This prevented him from being tormented by the demons that dwelt in his unconscious and waited for any chance to torment him, as if being awake weren't enough. Or being alive...

Taking a deep breath, he glanced sideways until his attention caught the image of his reflection contained in the small broken mirror on the wall.

He didn't even remember the last time he had looked to himself in the mirror… Could be the last week or months ago as well. What he saw now was the image of a thirty-two-year-old man staring back at him with tired gray eyes and purplish dark circles, pale, waxy-looking skin, greasy hair and beard.

He looked old, too old for the age he had.

He looked - and felt - drained.

Drained of any desire, any emotion. In general, he felt consumed, broken... Empty. That image pissed him off as if he were staring at some kind of cruel joke made by someone, causing him to pick up his wand and point at the mirror that exploded in a thousand shards.

He screamed in anger, knowing that no one would hear him.

He cried in anguish, knowing that no one would comfort him.

His life was not supposed to be like this... He was supposed to be, at that moment in a small, comfortable house, next to his beloved one and their family living a simple but complete happiness. He wasn’t supposed to be in that dreadful place in the middle of nowhere, under those circumstances.

Sobbing like a child, he turned toward the bed, pulling underneath it the only thing that belonged to him in that room, a small wooden box of simple finish, devoid of ornament, but containing his memories, precious treasures in which no one could take from him.

Opening carefully, his fingers gently touched the small random objects he had collected over the years, from photographs, clipping, a pair of broken glasses, Quidditch game tickets, a sliver of wood, a badge, an enchanted white rose, a tiny slipper and some letters.

People called him a monster, a criminal, a murderer, offered rewards for his capture, and wished every day for him to be captured and sent to Azkaban... Maybe they were right, maybe the things he had done weren't worthy of forgiveness. At times he would even consider surrendering, perhaps making the suffering come to an end.

At times he felt twinges of regret.

But looking at the box, he soon recoiled, making those feelings to be suppressed. There was no more regret. There was no more guilt.

People said Cedric had become a monster and he agreed without remorse.

But people didn't ask _how_, they didn't ask _why_.

And that was the story of how he, who was once considered the Hufflepuff golden boy, a champion and "hero" who later become the “villain”.

Of how he loved and adored someone and how he had lost him.

Of how people betrayed him...

…and how he took revenge on everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked and want me to continue it, let me know! I would love to read your comments :)


	2. Unexpected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small wood chunk is the beginning of their story.

**CHAPTER II**

**UNEXPECTED**

The rain was falling heavily in the woods, the cold wind swaying the tree branches, entering through the cracks in the roof and windows of the small hut where he was.

Although tired, almost to the point of exhaustion, Cedric had failed to fall asleep the night before. Preferring to sit in the chair next to the window with the box on his lap, he watched the raindrops streaming down on the cold glass on which was pressing against his cheek, his face faintly illuminated by dim light of that morning.

_“It’s ironic…” _he thought as his index finger circled the glass, the corner of his lips curving in a ghost of a smile _”…how it all began because of a day like this.”_

Many years ago, when Cedric was a child, his mother always put him to bed with tales in which all the magical children heard from their parents, such as the “Tale of the Three Brothers” or the “The Warlock’s Hairy Heart”, tales that have always fascinated him. However, the story he always liked to hear before sleep was how his parents, Amos and Hellen met at Hogwarts, the two of them being soulmates, something immensely rare to occur.

It was a simple story, without “villains” or “plot-twists” but it was the most important one to Cedric - it was the story of how his adored parents find the true love.

Over the years, after entering at Hogwarts and slowly let his childhood behind as he grew up, Cedric secretly begun to idealize when would be the time that he would find his mate.

In his idealizations, he imagined meeting her on a quiet, sunny afternoon or perhaps a night with a star-studded sky, perhaps in his home village, Ottery St. Catchpole when he returned for the Summer break or even at Hogwarts, like happened with his parents: the two of them bumping by bad luck and meeting with pure luck, he feeling his magic connect with hers as two strands were joined as one.

But like everything else in his life, what Cedric imagined had fled — and a lot — from reality.

He was wrong about the weather conditions: he hadn’t found his soulmate on a sunny day or on the starry night sky, but was thanks to a torrential rain such as it fell at that moment, cold, freezing wind, muffled sunlight through the heavy dark clouds.

He was wrong about the person: it wasn’t a girl with a delicate beauty as Cho Chang, a former friend from Ravenclaw or any girl like that.

It was him.

A boy like him.

And it wasn't any boy...

Cedric looked down at the box, his fingers collecting his first precious relic from the ones he'd accumulated over time: a wood chunk. In the eyes of others, it was just useless garbage, but to him it was the material reminiscence of the day he found that Harry Potter was his soulmate.

**.**

**.**

**.**

** _November, 1993._ **

Within Quidditch, the function of a seeker was theoretically simple: to capture the Golden Snitch and secure 150 points for their team, which almost always led to a victory. The function was “theoretically” simple, because the snitch was a tiny object that flew at great speed, turning into a small golden blur in the field of view, under the good and normal weather conditions.

But the function of a seeker at that moment was almost an impossible mission: the rain was very dense, soaking him to the bones, the wind was unfavorable, making him feel even colder while the conditions of visibility were poor. The snitch could be on his side or a few feet away and he wouldn't even realize it.

It was Cedric's first match as Captain of the Hufflepuff Team and the results so far were great: they had been unbeaten in matches against Ravenclaw and Slytherin, all thanks to the determination and discipline in which he and his teammates had during training. Now they were in a match against Gryffindor, a team in which had an established reputation as the best on Quidditch at Hogwarts and that year it was undeniable that they were stronger than ever thanks to great players like the veteran Oliver Wood, Katie Bell, Angelina Johnsson, the Weasley twins and of course their seeker, Harry Potter.

Cedric had two options at that time.

The first was to let the match run the natural course, as chances were that neither he nor Potter could catch sight of the Snitch in time while the second option was to keep looking, even under those precarious conditions. It would be wise to opt for the first option, but the sense of duty towards his team spoke louder, making him decide the last one.

Flying a little higher with the broom, Cedric saw Potter following him cautiously, standing a few feet behind him as the sky reverberated with the sound of thunder and lightning. Having the gryffindor by his side was an advantage, because if Potter saw and followed the snitch, Cedric would know the direction in which to fly and vice versa. They would be partners, but at the same time opponents.

As he nodded at Potter, Cedric had seen a golden flash beside him, stopping in mid-air for a few seconds as he began to fly upward, forcing him to act as quickly as possible; Clutching the handle tightly, Cedric propelled the broom toward where the snitch was, flying overhead as Potter followed behind.

Cold raindrops hit him hard enough to hurt his face, but still he flying forward, having to dive with the broom almost vertically when he saw the Snitch fly down. Looking back, Cedric saw that Potter was no longer following him, making easier to him to capture the winged ball.

And so he did.

Raising his arm in enthusiasm, he heard his house and teammates celebrate the victory with applause, cheering, and shouts of euphoria, but a special sound caught his attention, a scream of dread coming from the Gryffindor bleaches. Cedric turned toward where the scream came from, seeing their terrified faces as well as some of them pointing upwards.

And looking up, Cedric saw the reason for the splurge: Harry Potter had fallen off his broom, his body, now just a red blur, descended into a free fall that would result in his death. Before he and other players could react, he had seen the sky above him infested with several hooded skeletal figures, circling as their made the air around them as icy as possible, a few raindrops freezing and turning to hail.

“Arresto Momentum!” Professor Dumbledore's voice sounded out like thunder in the clouds, causing Harry Potter's body to slow down from his fall and avoid the mortal impact.

Madame Hooch signaled the end of the match with the whistle, declaring the Hufflepuff victory, which reacted in a mixed way between the silence of the few and the joyfulness of the majority. Cedric, for his part, was silent, staring at Golden Snitch in his hand as he landed with his broom.

He had won, but he didn't feel so victorious at all.

**...**

Two days passed since the match.

After a conversation with his own team, his unsuccessful attempt to resign victory and doing a rematch, and his father's disconcerting compliments upon learning of his victory, Cedric was in the Hogwarts Hospital wing, holding a package full of sweets he ordered from Honeydukes along with a card signed by all the players on his team. The idea was simple: leaving it on Potter's nightstand and going back to his common room, free from any burden of conscience.

But there he was, standing awkwardly in front of the gryffindor’s bed, while the other boy looked at him with a genuine expression of confusion. Harry blinked in a daze, turning toward his nightstand, groping for his pair of glasses.

As he put them on, he looked even more confused.

“D-Diggory?!” he asked in a groggy voice.

For a few seconds Cedric looked around as if the boy had been talking to someone else until he smiled at his own foolishness.

“Potter...” he greeted with a nod.

Harry frowned.

“Did you come to visit someone?”

“Hm... Uh, well... Yeah, you.” Cedric looked down, extending the package forward “It's for you...”

The wizard widened his eyes.

“Hm… What?! Why?”

Cedric approached, placing the package on top of the furniture, turning toward the younger teen.

“I came here, because I'd like to apologize...” he began, putting his hands in the pockets of his uniform robes.

“Sorry...? For what?” Potter asked, even more surprised.

“Well... Because I and my team won the last game. I tried to have it canceled and rescheduled, but Wood insisted on keeping the result.” Cedric explained.

“Oh, I see... Fred and George told me ...” the boy muttered “There's nothing to be sorry for... You guys won fair, so...”

“Yes, but you fell off the broom because of the dementors... If you didn't, we might not have won.”

Potter shook his head.

“Or maybe you caught the snitch the same way...” he said with a shrug “Again... The victory is yours...”

Cedric shifted.

“Well, if you say so...”

“But don’t get used to it so soon...” Potter said in a slightly competitive tone ”Gryffindor will win next time…”

The Hufflepuff seeker laughed.

“You wish...” he replied with a coy smile.

Harry smiled, looking back at his sheet-covered feet. Cedric stared at him for a moment as he remembered watching him fall.

“How was the feeling...?”

“Hm?” the younger one stared at him.

“How was the feeling when you got close from the… From the dementors?” he asked. ”I heard you fainted because of one of them on the train...”

Harry blushed.

“You know that too ...” he said dryly.

“I’m sorry” Cedric said.

“No, no... That’s okay, I guess...” Harry said in frustration. ”It's not like something like it could be a secret…”

Cedric was silent.

“You feel cold...” Harry began to say in a low voice, looking at his hands ”Not the normal kind, but the kind that makes you feel cold inside your bones or something... And when they get close to you, it's like...”

He paused for a moment and continued.

“It's as if all the good in the world had disappeared.”

Cedric looked down.

“Luck that you are the Boy-Who-Lived. Dad told me that dementors are extremely dangerous...” Cedric murmured as he recalled his conversations with Amos.

“Yeah... Lucky me!” Potter rolled his eyes bitterly, something that made the older boy pause to think about what he had said.

If Potter was the Boy-Who-Lived, it was because of what had happened to him and his family when he was still a baby: it wasn’t a matter of luck, but a matter of tragedy. Cedric felt suddenly heavy with his own words.

“I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to...”

“No, it's all right...” he sighed, turning to the side as he took the box Cedric had brought “May I?”

The older seeker nodded in agreement.

Harry opened the box, reading with a shy smile the 'good whishes' card signed by the Hufflepuff team as well as picking up a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.

“Do you wanna some?” he offered.

“Hm... Isn’t for me, Potter... It’s yours.” Cedric said.

“Well, if it's mine, I can share it with anyone I want, so... Take some...” he kept his hand towards the older boy.

Reluctantly, Cedric grabbed some of the beans, eating one by one while grimacing occasionally as he picked up disgusting flavors just like the younger one. Sitting on the next bed, he saw beside him a pile of what look like broken wood. Picking up a splinter with curiosity, he frowned and then widened his eyes when realized what that was.

“Oh... Is this yours...”

Harry sighed, staring at the splinters of his Nimbus 2000.

“Yeah ... yeah ...” he said sadly. “I was told that when I fell, the wind carried it or the Whomping Willow and the result is that... A pile of wood chunks.”

“Can't you fix it?” Cedric asked, twirling the piece of wood between his fingers as Harry shook his head.

“Nops... Damage beyond repair.”

“I'm sorry, Potter...” the hufflepuff said, making the other laugh softly in response.

“Oh, c’mon… You're not _that_ sorry... Now I won't be able to fly that fast in games!”

Cedric blinked in surprise at the answer and laughed.

“Yeah, maybe...” he admitted, but then added ”But as seeker myself, I understand your sadness.. We create connections with our brooms. Seeing them like this is like losing a friend...”

Harry smiled wistfully.

“Yes, you're right...” he whispered.

Cedric stared at Harry for a few seconds as he remained silent.

He had unruly dark hair that looked like he had never seen a hair comb in his life; vivid green eyes hidden behind circular-framed glasses; a delicate face still with that typical childhood fat, but beginning to show more mature lines with the dawn of puberty, like his strong jawline; on his forehead the famous scar, the one that had made him a legend for the whole Wizarding World.

“How old are you, Potter?”

Harry seemed to have awakened from his reverie.

“Hm... Well, I'm 13.” 

“Oh... You're still a child...”

“I am not a child, thank you very much.” Harry muttered, pouting then.

Cedric raised his eyebrow skeptically.

“What? It's not like you're the most mature here...”

“I'm 16” Cedric replied as humbly as possible.

“No big deal being three years older…” Harry countered, smoothing the sheet that covered him “Besides, what does my age matter in the first place?”

Cedric stopped, placing his hand on the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Well, it's just... Looking at you now, I realized that I've heard of you since I was about four years old. You were kind of a legend to me and other kids. We heard about your story since childhood.” Cedric explained.

“Oh...” Harry whispered.

Silence.

“Can I ask you something?” Cedric asked hesitantly.

“Hm, yes, I think...”

“How was your childhood with all the fame? I mean, growing up being known to everyone.” He asked.

“Oh well, to be honest I didn't know I was 'famous' until I went to Hogwarts.” Harry answered. - I grew up with my uncles, who are muggles.

“Oh, I see. But you must have enjoyed your muggle childhood a lot.” Cedric said softly.

Harry paused, glaring at him as his face grew increasingly pensive, almost bordering on the melancholy.

“If only...” he whispered, turning his head the other way.

Cedric understood that he would not talk about it.

“Whom will you play against in the next match?” The Gryffindor boy asked after long silent seconds.

“I think it's Slytherin.”

Potter frowned immediately.

“Then I'll cheer to you a lot.” he smiled as he spoke.

“Will you?” the older one asked in surprise.

“Of course I’ll! And I know you guys will win. I’ve heard that honey-badgers eat snakes as breakfast, so… It will be easy for you!” Harry encouraged.

Cedric giggled. 

“I don't know... They all fly high-end brooms...” Cedric said as he remembered the gleaming Nimbus 2001 of the green and silver team.

“Nah... Just kick Malfoy off the broomstick that will be all right...” Harry said with a smile.

Cedric laughed, shaking his head with the provocation.

The rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin was as old as Hogwarts itself - as the lions and snakes dueled during the centuries, the ravens and badgers just watched in amusement.

“Thank you Potter…”

“You can call me Harry, you know ...” the boy muttered “My friends call me that... The only people who call me 'Potter' are Snape and Malfoy, so you can guess why I’m not fan of being called only by my surname...”

“Okay then... Harry...” Cedric said with a soft smile, looking at the boy who still looked a little groggy by his medicaments.

“Mr. Diggory, your visiting hours are up to five minutes!” Madam Pomfrey said as she emerged from white screens beside Harry's bed, causing Cedric to immediately rise from the bed he was sitting on “Mr. Potter needs to rest.”

“Oh, of course ma’am... I just came to exchange some words with him” he apologized.

“Two minutes and nothing more!” She said with a stern look withdrawing.

In that place there was no one with more authority than Madame Pomfrey, managing it like a Queen... or a dictator.

“Well, it seems that I have to go…” Cedric murmured.

“Okay...” Harry said “Thanks for... You know, visit me and all.”

“There is nothing to be thanking for.... Get well Potter…“ He held out his hand. “I mean, Harry... Get well Harry!”

“Thank you” he replied calmly, holding out his hand to say goodbye. “It was nice talking to you.”

Cedric holds Harry's hand in a friendly, cordial grip.

And then it had happened.

It began slowly as a small tingling under the skin, something akin to a lightning strike that was light enough to indulge and feathered into laughter. From his hands, the sensation rose and spread throughout the rest of his body, making him feel dizzy, slightly confused, but most of all happy.

Very happy.

Joining eyebrows suspiciously, Cedric looked down, faced with something somewhat bizarre but above all shocking: several glowing and luminous wires came from his hand and intertwined with the wires of Harry's hand as strings being attached and twisted.

Harry stared at it wide-eyed, visibly surprised and enchanted by that show of magic that was beautiful and for which he had no name, but surely Hermione would know.

But Cedric knew.

He felt his magic recognize Harry's one, creating a connection that was growing stronger and deeper. Every second he saw, no, _felt, _reverberating inside him something luminous, warm as a star in which emanated an aura of bravery, kindness, sweetness, fidelity and goodness.

Cedric felt Harry's soul - a pure and beautiful soul. He could feel, because Harry's soul was the ideal complement of his own and Harry could probably feel his as well.

They were soulmates.

When all the magical wires connected, they changed to a bright, golden color, magically sealing their encounter. Madam Pomfrey, who went to warn the older teenager, had watched the scene quiet, livid and astonished.

The two boy's remained in silence, just looking at each other - Harry with his big green eyes and locked lips; Cedric with his jaw clenched and brows drawn.

The Hufflepuff lowered his grey eyes to their hands, blinking as if waking from a reverie, and was livid when he realized what just finished to happen: he had found his soulmate, the person who was meant to be his, and under normal circumstances this would have made him explode with happiness, but all he had done was taking a step back, ignoring what Madam Pomfrey was saying or Harry's look of supplication as he saw him going away.

Leaving the infirmary, he marched in stride through the corridors without knowing exactly where to go, bending randomly to the left or right until he found a bench next to a column, sitting there before he totally freaked out.

His heart galloped in his chest, his hands and legs trembled, his head spinning in endless loops as if he had been hung upside down on a broomstick in mid-flight. Placing his head close to his knees, Cedric inhaled deeply, letting out his breath, hoping that this would prevent him from beginning to hyperventilate.

_“My soulmate... Harry Potter is my soulmate!!!” _he thought, repeating the words as increasingly took knowledge of this reality.

That implied so many things, first from the fact that his soulmate was a boy, but not just a common boy, but _Harry Potter_, The-Boy-Who-Lived, the savior of the Wizarding World, the youngest seeker of the century, the golden boy of Gryffindor.

Never in a million years could he have dreamed of such a bizarre situation.

His left hand had begun to ache from the grip on which he had applied force while holding an object, making him look down: in the palm of his hand was the chunk of Harry's broom, with the words 'Nimbus 2000' engraved in gold letters, reminding him of the circumstances under which all that happened .

Harry had almost died.

Cedric might have lost his other half and wouldn't have known it, being condemned to expect to find him unsuccessful for the rest of his life - a life in half, stagnant for what “could be” and the thought made him feel a similar cold in which Harry had described the sensation of having a dementor around: a cold that consumed him from the inside out, as if it were in his bones, injected into his muscles.

He was confused, afraid, not knowing what to do, say, or think, sitting on the bench as he stared at the chunk of wood in his hands. Little by little, Cedric realized that if he felt that way, Harry was probably feeling the same or even worse, since being raised by Muggles, he might not know about the whole soulmate thing and the eternal connection that would exist between them when they meet.

Putting the small chunk inside his pocket, Cedric rubbed his face with his hand, pulling his hair back to take a deep breath to regain courage. While he began to walk back to the infirmary, he felt a new feeling within him that pushed him toward the boy's direction, like being guided by a compass. That was a feeling that he should get used to for the rest of his life, a feeling that somehow pleased him, for now he had a right path, a direction to follow.

From that moment, Harry Potter would be his direction.

Opening the door to the ward, he was overheard by Madam Pomfrey with her stern, reproachful look, but all he had done was apologize for the abrupt departure and ask to speak to Harry, for it was a necessity. Visibly upset she gave in, giving him five minutes and nothing more.

Cedric walked a few steps until he was facing Harry's bed; the younger boy pursed his lips in a thin line at the sight of the older one, his eyes watching him warily.

They were silent, watching each other as if waiting for some first reaction. Cedric opened his mouth, but closed immediately, found that he was speechless. Harry bit his lower lip, looking down at his clasped hands on his lap.

“Hi...” the younger one said in a whisper.

Cedric moistened his lips, shifting his weight on his feet as he felt embarrassed. Though younger, Harry was braver than he was in this situation.

“Hi...” he whispered back, finding his own voice.

Harry looked at him apprehensively. Cedric closed his eyes, sighing deeply as he approached the Gryffindor side.

“Harry...?” he said the boy's name carefully.

“Yes?”

“Do you... Do you know what happened to us a little while ago?” Cedric asked softly, feeling inside him traces of the nervousness Harry was experiencing.

The younger shook his head in denial.

“No, I don’t…”

Cedric put his hand on the back of his neck, sighing deeply as he gathered the courage to get on with it.

“Allow me?” he asked, looking down at an unoccupied piece beside the Gryffindor, who nodded.

The Diggory heir sat on the edge, facing Harry. The green-eyed wizard tilted his chin, encouraging Cedric to start to speak.

And so he did.

Carefully pausing at times to let the other boy assimilate what he was saying, Cedric told him the story he knew: that in the magical world, witches and wizards were able to find their ideal match the moment their inner magic connected together on the first physical touch. For obvious reasons, this was rare, but it still happened at one time or another. It had been that way with his parents, and it had been that way with him and Harry.

Harry was silent, eyes wide with fright as he stared at the older teenager for long seconds after he told her what had happened.

“So t-this is like ‘love at first si-sight’?” Harry stammered.

“Well, I...” Cedric scratched his head in confusion.

“But I don't love you...” The Gryffindor frowned, quickly speaking what came to his head. “I just turned 13! I was almost getting kicked out of Hogwarts for turning my uncle's sister into a balloon and... I... I don't know if I like girls and for cry out loud, I never thought in look at blokes, and... I don't know you! I... I do not love you!”

“Harry, with all respect, I don't love you either” Cedric explained truthfully, stopping to think and going on “And yes, you're right, we don't know each other, but ... I'd love to know you if you let me...”

Harry stood staring at him suspiciously.

“Why?” he asked “Why do you want to get involved with someone like me?”

“Someone like you?” Cedric asked confused.

“Yeah… I'm nothing. Why do you want to know me?” Harry whispered looking down.

The older teenager blinked in confusion that Harry thought that about himself.

“You aren’t a nothing... This is one of the few things that I already know about you.”

“But...”

“No... Listen... I want to know you, because I know there must be some reason why this all happened...” Cedric said, staring at him.

Harry was silent, breathing fast as his heart pounded, and Cedric felt the other's stirring reverberate within him.

“I want you to know that I'm confused too... Very much indeed... This was as unexpected to me as it was to you.” Cedric confessed “But I think we can at least try to get to know each other... To be friends... Can we be friends Harry?”

The younger one held his breath as he looked into the other boy eyes and saw a gentle kindness and patience in them, something that said he was trustworthy.

“Yeah… I suppose we can...” Harry whispered shyly “We can be friends…”

Cedric smiled equally shyly, looking down for a few seconds.

“Can I...”

“Hm?”

“Can I hold your hand Harry?” The Hufflepuff seeker asked shyly.

Harry bit his lower lip and nodded, feeling his hand slowly be enveloped by the big, soft hand of the older teenager. They closed their eyes, just enjoying the warmth and softness of that chaste, innocent touch as they let their inner magic rejoice that they were united again.

Cedric had been the first to open his eyes, seeing a soft smile forming on Harry's pink lips, which seemed peaceful and peaceful in that moment of silence between them.

It was still too early for feelings like love, because after all they barely knew each other.

Love required friendship, mutual trust, physical and emotional attraction, among other things that needed to be developed and built over time. They were both soulmates, but that didn't mean they already had love for each other.

No...

What they had was a _possibility_, a sign that they _could _be happy together, for both would complete each other in the most perfect and magical way of all.

Cedric grinned as he looked down at the smaller hand on his, not feeling uncomfortable as minutes ago: somehow, his future was beginning to look good, wonderful and bright, just like the glimpse of his mate's soul.

He would be friends with Harry, and one day, he didn't know when, he could love him... They were young, would have a whole future ahead and would work to have a future together.

And that sounded good to Cedric.

.

.

.

** _Current Days_ **

Cedric glanced once more at Harry's Nimbus 2000 wood chunk, seeing the golden letters now faded with time as a brief melancholy smile spread across his lips. With care, he enveloped the wood chunk in a white handkerchief, returning it to his precious box.

The two naturally became good friends over the months in which they talked and exchanged letters. Little by little, Cedric got to know the bravery, sweetness, kindness and sassiness of the young Gryffindor, little by little forgetting the fame and the epithet that accompanied him as the Boy-Who-Lived or “hero” of the Wizarding world.

No, Harry was a lot more complex and intricate than that, but he could still be a simple, honest and truthful person. Harry was what he was.

It was easy for Cedric to fall in love with him.

It was easy for Harry to fall in love with him back.

All very easy and very inevitable.

But to his despair and unimaginable pain, it was just as easy and inevitable that Harry had been taken from his life.

And that was something Cedric had never been able to forgive, leading him into the place and circumstance he was in at the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay in posting! College exams and creative blocking hit me hard.
> 
> All typos are mine, so I beg your pardon... I hope you enjoy this chapter, and if you can comment, I would greatly appreciate <3


	3. Inevitable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Cedric were soulmates, but that doesn't mean they loved each other right away.   
They had to build the feeling, and they started with a beautiful friendship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who follow this fic, a thousand apologies for the delay in updating.  
I didn't know how to continue, but I'm glad I was inspired and managed to write this chapter!

**CHAPTER III**

**INEVITABLE**

After a long sleepless night, the daylight finally seamed to appear; the morning rain gradually gave way to a sky covered with a thin layer of gray clouds, the birdsong echoing through the forest as they left their nests.

As Cedric opened the door, he felt an inevitable sense of relief as he inhaled a breath of fresh air that filled his lungs, enjoying the dewy and green scent of nature instead of the moldy air mixed with his own body odor in which was impregnated in almost overwhelming way in the hut. Instinctively, he looked around to see if there was any sign of an invader, but he soon discarded it - he had put the most powerful protective spells that made the hut undetectable, both for Muggles and for wizards.

Taking his hand to his pocket, he pulled out a cereal bar, nibbling on that tasteless food in the hope that it would be enough to appease his stomach in which insistently complained for food, a remnant of the times when his appetite was fully satiated.

_"I don't think I ever thought that I was going to find someone who ate as much as Ron, Ced..." _Harry's playful voice echoed in his head, making him smile softly as he remembered one day when they were in Hogwarts’s kitchen in 1994, in a period between the first and second task of the Triwizard Tournament.

Cedric was devouring a generous plate of a typical English breakfast, composed by crispy strips of bacon, eggs, tomatoes, toast and beans in which Dobby, the free elf made for him; Harry just looked at him with curiosity.

_“There is a reason why the Hufflepuff common room is close to the kitchen: we badgers are eternally hungry!"_ he winked cheekily to his boyfriend, who laughed in response.

The sound of Harry's bubbling laughter echoed in Cedric's mind, his subtle smile giving way to an empty, tired expression, the cereal bar resembling wood sawdust as it came down dry in his throat.

It hurt to remember of Harry and the sound of his laughter.

It would always hurt.

The feeling of loss was still an open wound, always making him feel that tightness in his heart and his eyes sting with tears that never seemed to dry up completely.

In the past years, this pain was somewhat suppressed in favor of having to focus on the goals and missions, which gave a meaning for his existence, but now that everything had come to an end, the memories and the pain came back in the same intensity as the days that followed the death of his beloved.

His memories were the only thing he had: as time passed, his friends came to see him as a criminal monster, his parents, once so proud of him, were now ashamed of his existence.

He was alone.

The memories are hurtful, but reminded him that many years ago, in something that seemed like another life, he, Cedric Diggory loved and was loved by the most famous wizard in the world.

Sitting on the porch floor and leaning against the wooden column, he returned to his memories, in a time when everything was simpler and more promising.

**...**

**...**

**...**

** _December, 1993_ **

In general, weekends at Hogwarts had limited options for hobbies: if students weren’t busy with schoolwork or study groups, they were content to play chess or cards in the common rooms or in the Great Hall.

On that early December morning, Cedric Diggory hadn’t been in the Hufflepuff common room, nor in the library or the Great Hall. He was in the private greenhouse of Pomona Sprout, a small building made of steel and glass panels in which the professor kept specimens of the rarest magical flowers in all of Britain and in which she took great care of.

Because he was the best student in his classes, as well as being particularly liked by the headmaster of the badger’s house and because of his natural talent for magical botany, Cedric had access to that place where entry was private to others. And the reason for being there on a Saturday morning, was because he would have an informal meeting with Harry Potter where they could talk face to face without the interruption of others.

After the huge initial shock of discovering that they were soulmates, Cedric and Harry began to exchange correspondence over the course of the days, as they were from different years, their schedules hardly fit. Such correspondence started as small notes with generic phrases like ‘Are you okay?’, ‘I hope you have a good week’ or ‘Good luck in your next game’ until it evolved into small letters in which both told a little about themselves or about their routines, but still in a timid and contained manner.

Realizing that just letters wouldn’t be enough to start a friendship, Cedric had taken the initiative to invite Harry to that meeting, but at the moment he wasn’t so sure of it.

_'Maybe it's too soon...' _he thought intently, his long fingers tightening on the jacket he wore _'Maybe talking to each other in letters is better... Potter... No, Harry could have a wrong impression and this isn’t what I intend at all...’_

He stopped for a moment, frowning.

‘_Is it too late to cancel? I could say that I had to help a friend at the last minute or something...’_

When he heard the metallic creaking of the door being opened and closed, he immediately got up from the bench he was sitting on, both from the shock of having his thoughts interrupted and from the anxiety; On the other side of the greenhouse and leaning against the door was Harry, who was looking at him with wide eyes in obvious nervousness.

“Hm... Hi.” Harry greeted him uncertainly.

Cedric cleared his throat as he recovered from his fright.

“Hello Harry!” he replied with a calm smile, hoping that somehow it seemed to convey reliability.

Harry hesitantly took a few steps forward, removing the knitted beanie in which there were tiny snowflakes, exposing his dark messy hair.

“Sorry for the delay...” the gryffindor murmured “I was helping Ron to look for his rat, Scabbers. I came as quickly as I could...”

“No, everything is fine...”

The two were silent for seconds, not sure how to proceed with it.

_‘Merlin, this is so embarrassing...’ _Cedric thought.

Harry bit his bottom lip, looking interested in his shoes.

“Are you hungry? I hope so... I..." Cedric said awkwardly, putting his hand on the back of his neck until he turned to the side and indicated with a look at a straw basket "I may or may not have picked it up something in the kitchen clandestinely..."

Harry smiled as he shook his head, unzipping the heavy coat he was wearing, as the temperature in the greenhouse was much more pleasant than the freezing weather outside.

"Allow me..." Cedric offered as he extended his hand, causing the youngest to widen his eyes and slowly hand him the coat.

"Thanks." Harry whispered, sitting on the edge of the bench and looking nervously around.

Cedric hung his coat along with Harry's on the hook, drawing his wand causing a thermos to float with two mugs that were served with an aromatic hot chocolate, as well with scones that landed on the plates.

Harry thanked him while taking the mug, sipping the liquid and then smiling when he felt the heat of the drink warm him; sitting beside him, but with an appropriate distance, Cedric took small sips of his drink.

"It's a nice place... Here..." Harry murmured as he looked around, seeing the variety of colors and shapes of the most diverse flowers.

“Yeah...” he replied softly “This is like a sanctuary for Professor Sprout's rare plants... It's perfect for those who like silence...”

“Oh... That’s cool...” the smaller boy whispered taking a sip but frowning at next “Except if there mandrakes here... You know...”

Cedric laughed when he saw Harry's funny face.

“It's not _that_ bad...” he shrugged and laughed a little more when he saw the skeptical look of the youngest “I mean, I kind of got used to it... Last year I helped her with growing a crop of mandrakes. You know, because of the petrified people...”

“Oh!” Harry replied “Makes sense...”

Cedric turned to look at him.

“It was quite a year, wasn't it?”

“Yeah...” a crease grew on Harry's forehead as he remembered the events of the previous year “And awkward too... People thought I was the Heir of Slytherin and everything...”

“Oh yes, I remember…” Cedric said.

“A lot of people in fact...” Harry muttered, tracing his index finger on the rim of the mug “If it weren't for my friends supporting me it would have been worse, I think...”

“I'm glad you had them around then...” Cedric replied, taking a sip of his drink.

Harry glanced at him.

“And you? Did you... Did you also think it was me?”

The older boy stopped for a moment as he looked at the mug in his hand.

“To be honest, at first I thought so... You know, because of that episode of you talking to a snake in front of everyone... A boy from my house, what's his name? Ohh yes... Justin Finch-Fletchley spent weeks saying how much you scared him by stirring the snake towards him.” he said softly “But then, I saw that it didn't make sense because of the little I knew about you... And when your friend was petrified, I was sure that you were innocent.”

“That's nice of you... Hmm... Thanks.”

Cedric shrugged, whispering a "you're welcome" that Harry hadn't heard.

The two kept their looks straight ahead, staying silent; Cedric chose not to force an interaction with Harry, leaving the youngest at ease... Besides, he didn't even know for sure what to talk about, just feeling how embarrassing that situation was gradually becoming.

“I have the impression...” Harry whispered at one point, his fingers tightening on the beanie “That I will never have a quiet year at this school...”

The hufflepuff turned his face to look at him.

“Why?”

Harry shifted shyly.

“It's just that... Well... Since I arrived here at Hogwarts, it seems that what I most do is to attract troubles and complications to me.”

“Hmm... That’s makes sense…” Cedric inclined his head with a slight smile . “I heard that you are a truly troublemaker, Potter.”

Harry laughed softly at that comment, shaking his head.

“I don't like trouble... Or complications.” he replied with visible honesty “It’s the trouble and complications that like me!”

Cedric laughed causing Harry to laugh along until they stopped for a moment. The youngest took a sip of his hot chocolate, biting his lower lip with an uncertain look.

"Do you... Huh..." Harry said as he looked at him.

“Yes...?”

“Did you tell someone about... Well, you know...”

The older boy frowned until he understood what he was talking about.

“Oh... No, I haven't told anyone yet. To be honest, I 'm kind of still processing all of this.” he answered with honesty “And you?”

Harry shook his head vehemently.

“No... It's all very confusing for me.”

Cedric looked at his hands while Harry took a deep breath.

“How will this work?” the dark-haired boy whispered.

“Hm?”

“How will this work?” he repeated looking at the Hufflepuff seeker, who blinked his eyes as he tried to understand the question “What exactly are we going to be?”

The older boy was silent as he was stared at by Harry's intense gaze, which seemed to be seeking some answer to his doubts, or rather, a solution to that situation that clearly bothered him.

“Well...” Cedric took a deep breath, putting the mug aside and turning his body so that he was facing Harry “As I said in the Hospital Wing... For the moment we can be just friends.”

_'Definitely just friends for the time being... You're still almost a child,' _he added mentally.

“But will that be enough?” Harry asked, causing Cedric to rummage in the bench “I mean, what if we find out we're not compatible at all? Not even as friends? Will we still be... Will we still be soulmates? And even if we are friends and nothing more, will it be enough? What if...”

“Wow , Harry...” Cedric gasped in surprise “That's... A lot of questions!”

“I'm not kidding when I say that I attract trouble.” Harry looked at him seriously, making the other look him in the eye “I'm like a giant magnet that attracts unnecessary attention and troubles. And now that we have this... This connection, I don't know what to expect or what to do.”

Cedric was quiet.

“Are you afraid?” he asked quietly.

Harry looked down.

“I didn't imagine that I could have a soulmate... And that could be a bloke...” he said hesitantly, looking back at him “That could be _you_.”

“Am I _that_ bad?” Cedric said lightly, smiling charmingly and making Harry blush.

“Uh... Yes... **_NO! _**I mean... You’re not ugly, you’re certainly far from looking like a troll, on the contrary... I mean...” Harry stammered, getting even more nervous when he saw Cedric narrowing his gray eyes “Sorry! I didn't mean that! I'll shut up.”

Cedric narrowed his eyes and finally laughed, making the dark-haired boy blink his eyes in disbelief and embarrassment.

“Oh Harry...” he said shaking his head “It's okay.”

Harry was still red, sinking into the bench.

“No need to worry... I understand what you mean.” he assured.

The youngest was silent.

“I confess that I also have the same doubts as you, you know... It's normal, I suppose.” he said softly “I think it was something that took us completely by surprise.”

Harry sighed in response.

“Your doubts are normal.” he said finally “And you can talk to me about it... Even because, I'm the only one who can _understand _what you're going through. We're in the same boat.”

The Gryffindor looked at him.

“What does being soulmates really mean?” Harry asked in a whisper, making Cedric silent. “What does it mean for both of us?”

Silence.

“I...” Cedric said quietly “I think it means that we can always count on each other... That we have this... This connection that unites us in a more... More intimate and magical way than the others.”

Cedric looked at Harry, analyzing his features.

“Fate has somehow decided that we are made for each other.” he whispered, feeling his own cheeks heat up with how absurd it sounded.

Harry blushed, squeezing his trembling fingers until his knuckles were bone white.

“What if I'm not good enough?” Harry replied “What if somehow I'm not what you expect?”

The Diggory heir tilted his head to the side, while Harry looked away.

“I'm not a big deal...” Harry continued “I'm not very smart, nor do I get the best grades like my friend Hermione... I'm not tall, strong or handsome like the others... The only thing in which I'm good is flying, getting in trouble and having unnecessary attention because of this scar.”

Harry paused and looked at Cedric.

“What if you find that you deserve someone better? Someone more interesting? I know you’re brilliant. Everyone likes you and that there are real reasons for that. I’ll be a dead weight for you...”

Cedric frowned, lowering his eyes.

“What if you aren’t?” he replied to Harry, who was quiet “I don't know exactly what will happen... I have my doubts too, but I think that putting these thoughts apart, I'm positive about us.”

He paused and went on with a shrug.

“Many of your questions I cannot answer, but I can guarantee you’ll not be a dead weight to me, Harry... I...” he licked his lips, trying to find the right way to express “I _can _feel it.”

Harry still looked uncertain, which encouraged Cedric to take his hand over to the younger one who reacted with surprise at the unexpected touch.

“Everything will be fine” he smiled.

Harry blushed, moistening his lips as he stared at him with his green eyes widened innocently.

“So if this works...” he whispered “It means that one day, we...”

He closed his mouth, slightly embarrassed.

“...that one day will we be a couple?” Cedric completed, noticing how surreal that word sounded in relation to him and the other.

The gryffindor nodded.

“Well... If all goes well...” he continued “...it may happen.”

Harry swallowed, his eyes still wide.

“And are you okay with this?” Harry asked.

Cedric shrugged.

“Well... At first it was shocking, you know... But... I think I'm fine with.” he replied.

“This is madness...” Harry huffed in disbelief, making the other boy smile.

“It's definitely madness.” he agreed.

Cedric noticed that Harry was still looking at him intently, as if he were afraid of asking something.

"You can ask me whatever you want, Harry..." he murmured lightly.

Harry nodded.

“Have you ever liked someone? A girl?”

Cedric lowered his head, frowning at that question that somehow took him by surprise, as he hadn't asked himself yet.

Had he ever _liked _someone?

Looking back, he gradually realized that despite his expectations of romance involving an imaginary girl, he never really looked at any girl at Hogwarts with romantic intentions. They told him he was handsome, and he often received love letters from some and even kissed one or the other, but none had ever caught his attention.

And he also never thought about boys. At one time or another he heard about "experimental kisses" among boys in the dorms just as there were those who were openly gay, but he never thought of such a possibility occur to him as he never had a physical attraction for them.

“I... I never liked anyone.” he replied honestly and somewhat surprised by the finding.

“And boys? Don’t you...”

“No.” he replied, looking at Harry “At least until the last few weeks...”

The older boy smiled when he saw a slight flush on the other's cheeks.

“And you Harry?” he asked, looking at him with interest. “Have you ever had a crush on someone?”

“No, didn’t.” the Gryffindor seeker replied.

_'Good...' _Cedric thought instinctively, frowning as they both became quiet again.

“But if I had?” Harry asked, looking at Cedric.

“Hm?”

“What if I have a crush on someone other than you?”

_‘Oh...’ _Cedric shifted on the bench, looking at the mug in his hands as I tried to predict that possibility. His parents never spoke of the possibility that a person who had a soul connection with another having feelings for a third one. What would happen if that happened?

“I’m not sure.” he said honestly. “But if that happened, I would try my best to respect your feelings and all.”

Harry laughed softly, looking away from him.

“What's it?” he asked curiously.

“Nothing... It's just... Well, you really are a nice bloke… Decent and nice.” Harry explained, refusing to look at him.

Cedric blinked his eyes in surprise when he received that compliment.

"Thanks Harry..." he said quietly.

“If one day we... We became a _couple_...” Harry said slowly, as if testing the words in his tongue “Will we be called freaks by the others?

“What?” Cedric looked at him with a frown, not understanding what he had said.

Harry pursed his lips as if scolding himself.

“Well...” he said hesitantly “Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia said that once about boys who like others boys... Just like other muggles…”

Cedric scratched his head, feeling confused.

“Do Muggles not respect non-heterosexual couples?” he asked, confused.

“Most don't. My relatives... Well... They say that these people are freaks.” Harry said, whispered. “Just like wizards and witches.”

“This is horrible! Harry…”

Harry was quiet.

“In the magical world we don't have this problem... At least not the majority.” Cedric tried to explain to the other “Even more when it comes to people connected by the soul and magic core.”

“Oh...”

The two were silent.

“If we were a couple... People would definitely talk, but for other reasons I think...” Cedric murmured at last.

“For what?”

“Well... Like it or not, you're famous Harry. It would certainly break a lot of hearts to know that you found someone, I bet.” he joked, trying to make things lighter.

Harry frowned as if thinking of someone, laughing at last.

“Yes... Maybe one or the other.”

Cedric smiled at him, remaining silent for a while.

“Does that make you feel calmer?” he asked.

“Yes... Thank you.” Harry replied, stopping to think and continuing “So we will be friends?”

“Friends.” the Hufflepuff replied, interlacing his fingers with Harry's.

Harry smiled at him for a few seconds, looking around awkwardly, but gradually he seemed comfortable with that touch that made him feel good.

The two talked about various subjects naturally, from Harry's flight in a hippogriff to the plans of Cedric and his family at Christmas, where they would travel to the south of the country to spend time with his grandmother.

At one point, Harry looked at his wristwatch with a frown.

“I... I think it's time for me to go.”

“Oh... Alright...” Cedric replied, getting up from the bench and taking the young boy's coat “Do you want me to accompany you back to the Gryffindor tower?”

“No, it’s fine, really…” Harry said as he put on his coat and put on his beanie, looking at Cedric again as if he wanted to say something.

The Diggory heir encouraged him with a look.

“Cedric... Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Well... Don't get me wrong, but...” the dark haired boy looked nervous “Could you not tell anyone about us?”

The older boy frowned in confusion.

“As I told you before, my life is a mess.” Harry explained “When I say I attract confusion and trouble, I 'm not lying to you. It will be safer for me... And also for you.”

“Harry...” Cedric smiled, finding that exaggeration “What are you talking about?”

“I mean it” he said looking him in the eyes. “Please... If we want this to work, don't tell anyone. As you said yourself, whether or not people know who I am and... And that will end up dragging you into a lot of unnecessary attention.”

The older boy looked at Harry's face, seeing that he really meant what he said. A part of him saw that Harry's request was somewhat reasonable and sensible: if he told someone that the Gryffindor seeker was his soulmate, all the spotlight would turn on them and it would make the friendship between the two to spoil.

For others, having Harry Potter as their soulmate was a chance to be catapulted to stardom and notoriety, an opportunity in which it would open many doors; But for Cedric, who had always been modest and cherished privacy, he saw that this was potentially problematic.

“I... I promise.” he replied, unconsciously shaking Harry's hand in his, as a sign of promise “I won’t tell anyone.”

“If all goes well... And when we're ready... We can tell the others.” Harry smiled shyly.

“Yeah, I totally agree.”

“Good...”

Harry gently separated their hands, walking to the greenhouse door while Cedric followed.

“Oh, Harry... Are you going on the Hogsmeade tour next week?”

“I think so... My uncles didn't sign my pass, but I think Professor McGonagall will let me go. Why?”

“Would you...” Cedric smiled as he looked down “Would you like to have butterbeer with me? And with my friends of course! You can bring yours too!”

“Oh... Well... It might be cool...” Harry said looking at the door and then at him “I’ll write to you.”

“Nice!” the older boy put his hand on the back of his neck “Have a good weekend Harry!”

The youngest smiled as he opened the door.

“I say the same for you!”

Harry didn’t appear at Hogsmeade.

While a flurry of students wandered through the shops in the small village, Cedric searched among the dozens of teenagers, wanting to find the boy with round glasses; He even saw Harry’s friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger talking to each other while leaving Honeydukes , but there was no sign of Harry anywhere.

That left Cedric a little disappointed.

He had planned to introduce Harry in his circle of friends so that they all could interact and mingle at best, perhaps as a way to subtly make natural they approach each other over the time. But thinking more carefully, he could see that perhaps that was a big a step to take in relation to the Gryffindor seeker, as he was still going through an adaptation process with the idea of what the two of them were.

After visiting several stores, he and his friends went to the Three Broomstick, serving themselves with mugs of butterbeer with a generous dose of foam. In the midst of trivial conversations, a group of girls entered the establishment sitting at a table next to them and soon they were giggling followed by glances at them.

"I think it's for you, Ced..." Ernie said as he pointed his chin at the girls' table, especially one that looked at Cedric with interest.

Cedric turned his attention to the indicated place, seeing that he knew one of them: she was exceptionally beautiful with her silky dark hair, delicate skin and sweet face. It was Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw’s seeker.

They already met in some Quidditch training as well as talking once about any topic. She was beautiful, smart and, most of all, _nice_, but not enough to make him have seconds thoughts about her.

“You should talk to her, man...” David encouraged him with a friendly slap on the shoulder, followed by low chuckles from his friends provoking him to take action.

It was inconceivable to them that Cedric hardly took advantage of the potential that his physical appearance provided him when they themselves wanted a tenth of the attention his friend received: it was even ridiculous how many times they all heard passionate sighs followed by nervous giggles such as occurred at that time.

But all Cedric did was give a small nod and continue to drink his beer, while his friends laughed while rolling their eyes. It would be better that way. The last thing he needed was to involve a third person in the madness he had been going through for the past few days.

While talking with his friends, he felt a slight twinge of a sensation that made him feel strange... It was like a feeling that made him feel uncomfortable... It was as if something told him it was wrong to be there at that moment, his feet dangling impatiently under the table, as if they were ready to automatically guide him out of that place.

“Ced?”

“Yes?”

“Are you okay? You look tense...”

“I’m... I’m fine!”

He tried to ignore that presentiment, struggling to focus on that moment, but the sensation was persistent. Frowning and widening his eyes, he could soon understand why he was feeling that.

Harry.

Somehow, Harry was going through an extreme stress situation, making their connection clear, as Cedric felt the emotional "echo" of what the youngest was going through at the time. Getting up from the table abruptly, he apologized to his friends as well as giving them money for drinks he had consumed.

He needed to get out of there.

He needed to get back to the castle.

Leaving the inn, he strode towards the school in long strides, but stopped abruptly, because again it seemed wrong to take that direction.

The bond they shared was very new, fragile, and he had to concentrate to find out what exactly was going on; looking around, he soon started walking through the alleys of Hogsmeade until he entered a part of the forest.

It seemed pointless to be taking that path that apparently led nowhere, but he had decided that he should trust his own instincts and in no time he was happy to have done so.

A few feet away from him, sitting on a rock, was Harry.

He was standing there, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs, cheeks red with cold as little snowflakes landed on his messy hair, but what stood out most were the tears that poured from his eyes.

That was the first time Cedric had seen Harry cry.

When he noticed that he wasn’t alone, he looked in his direction, making the older boy somehow feel what was happening: Harry was crying with hatred, indignation, but above all for an enormous sadness that seemed to swallow him more and more. He could _feel_ it.

The hufflepuff was approached him calling him by name, but Harry couldn’t vocalize anything but hiccups interspersed.

Reaching him, Cedric knelt in front of him, asking what had happened, what had made him to act on that way.

Harry then told him that Sirius Black, Azkaban's fugitive assassin, was the best friend of his parents and that he betrayed them by handing them over to You-Know-Who. Sirius was his godfather.

Cedric didn’t know what to say, as there were no words that could express how he felt for the other, except to wrap him in a protective embrace. Obviously it took Harry by surprise, causing him to stiffen for a few seconds as he debated with himself whether or not to part, but the human need for comfort and affection spoke louder. 

That embrace was instinctive and innocent, without any romantic overtones: Cedric had only comforted Harry in a moment of pain, a decent and humane attitude that he would have done with anyone in that situation, but still, Harry wasn't just anybody... He was his soulmate and even though he didn't know him very much, he felt a part of him hurt when he saw him in that state. So, while hugging him, he mentally promised himself that he would do everything in his power so that Harry would never cry again.

The next day before going to the train station, Cedric sent to Harry through his owl a box of chocolate frogs accompanied with a card wishing Merry Christmas. Days later, when he was at his parents' house, Harry's white owl, Hedwig, appeared at his window with a package of chocolates with a single note attached, saying "thanks for everything".

When he returned to school in 1994, Cedric and Harry would return to meet at Professor Sprout's greenhouse as well as exchange more and more letters over the weeks and months.

In fact, they had many common interests as well as they confided more and more about themselves: Cedric had told how his father, Amos, had high expectations for him to pursue a career in the Ministry of Magic so that in the future he would become Minister, but that this wasn’t something he particularly wanted for himself. His dream was to be a mediwizard, to care for the sick and to give them comfort.

Harry, for his part, wasn’t sure what he wanted to be, considering perhaps pursuing a career in professional Quidditch. The gryffindor had also told him how much it bothered him to have too high expectations of himself from a lot of people, as he always felt he wasn’t talented enough to deserve the attention.

Cedric gradually forgot the mental image of the famous Harry Potter, seeing him only as Harry, a normal boy with normal ambitions, but who, like himself, had a great sense of justice, honesty, humility and kindness.

In the few months from January to June, the two became extremely close.

What they had was in fact a genuine friendship, but it was needless to say that much of this was due to the fact that the two had a bond: there were times when the two were alone, they spoke nothing at all, just ate lunch that they brought while enjoying the comforting silence.

Physical touches also became frequent, ranging from holding hands to greeting and goodbye hugs, and Cedric often had to police himself so he wouldn't commit something he would regret, repeating over and over that Harry was still very young and, because he was older, he should set an example and respect the limits.

The sacrifice would be worth it: at the end of the school year it was clear to both that they did have the potential to be more than friends.

Cedric realized this at the last meeting they had in the greenhouse, giving Harry a farewell hug as this would be the last time he would see him before the summer holidays. When the boy reluctantly separated from him and looked up with bright green eyes, promising that he would write to him, Cedric was sure that he was already beginning to feel the first signs of something inevitable: he was falling in love with Harry.

And he would do nothing to stop that feeling.

**...**

**...**

**...**

** _Present_ **

Sighing as he got up, Cedric walked back into the hut, closing the door behind him.

It had been more than 15 years since that happened, and even after that time he could still remember the smell of Harry's hair on his nose mixed with the sweet, warm odor of the flowers in the greenhouse in which they used to meet.

Those were his bittersweet memories. It warmed his heart in the same way that it hurt him deeply.

But it was the only thing he had.

Sometimes he thought how much easier it would be for him to hate Harry, because when he died, he took _everything _with him, leaving him nothing but memories and the unbearable pain of his absence.

Looking at his box of personal objects, Cedric took a small piece of faded gold paper, a ticket from the Quidditch match that took place many years earlier: it was the final of the Quidditch World Cup: Bulgaria vs Ireland. 

It was that same night where he and Harry started their relationship, one of the happiest nights for Cedric.

And also on that night, looking back now, it would serve as a warning that a danger was lurking in them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all liked it :)


	4. My Darling Harry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of the happiest nights in Cedric's life - and a macabre warning of something was coming.

**CHAPTER IV**

**MY DARLING HARRY**

** _August 18, 1994_ **

One of the positive points when waking up early was seeing nature “waking up” with the dawn.

It started in the same way: little by little the birds started to sing and left their nests, just like the small wild animals left their dens to look for food... The bluish, cold light of the forest was slowly replaced by the golden, warm light of the morning sun, a rare moment if you consider that the rest of the year was a constant variation of being cloudy, rainy or cold.

That’s why Cedric liked the morning, because it was a peaceful, serene and calming moment, something he needed badly.

As he leaned his back against the tree trunk and stretched his long legs on the firm branch that supported him, he sighed as he thought about how _frustrating _his summer break was being that year. 

Not that it had changed anything, because in essence it remained the same: physical exercises after waking up, followed by helping his mother to do the garden's maintenance, shopping in the village market, writing letters to his friends, reading books, listening songs or organize his bedroom and attic... But if he used to do these activities with good pre-disposition before, in those last few weeks it has become a frustrating attempt to contain his anxiety since he returned from Hogwarts... Anxiety caused by a certain wizard with round glasses.

In theory, he shouldn't feel that way.

Harry and he were fulfilling their promise to communicate through weekly letters, in which they told about their routines, expectations for the next school year and other superficially irrelevant things, but that for the Hufflepuff they were of great importance: he had already read and reread Harry's letters so many times that their paper was about to tear apart, as he had practically decorated the contents of all of them.

It was enough for him to hear Hedwig's characteristic chirp - in which he memorized over the months - to make him run from wherever he was in order to pick up the letter, making his parents look at him in a laughing and suspicious way when they noticed his unusual anxiety.

_“Is it your girlfriend, Ced? If so, tell her I say ‘hi’!” _Amos once said as he drank his tea, causing his wife to laugh and Cedric to blush as he hurried up the stairs.

In the privacy of his bedroom, he was beginning to feel that familiar sensation of butterflies in his stomach as he opened the envelope and unfolded the letter, being greeted by Harry's irregular handwriting, almost hearing the boy’s voice in his head when he read the first words:

_'Dear Ced'._

In the beginning, the letters were headed only with his name, _'Cedric'_. Over the months that they had been secretly meeting, Harry changed to the affectionate form of his nickname, _' Ced ', _and finally, since they were on summer break, it came as _'Dear Ced', _making the older boy's heart warm before he even read the content. 

But if he was anxious to _receive _the letters and read them, he was even more anxious to answer them. 

It started the same way: he sat at his desk, took out his quill and inkwell, and wrote on the header of the sheet of paper three words that made him smile shyly while a slight blush appeared on his cheeks:

'_My darling Harry'_.

_My darling Harry... _When he closed his eyes and said these three words slowly in a low voice, he immediately felt a pleasant warmth in his chest that gradually spread throughout his body, making him smile as if he had the Gryffindor boy in his arms, feeling his soft, clean scent of soap and feeling the warmth of his small body...

_'My darling Harry...' _the letter began to be written little by little, his gray eyes fixed on some point while his hand flourished the beautiful handwriting _'.. the truth is that with each passing day, I realize how much your presence is important to me and how much your absence bothers me... My darling, darling Harry, know that I count the days so that we can see each other again.'_

When he came back to reality and saw what he had written, he crumpled up the daft and shot at the pile of crumpled paper that accumulated beside the already full trash can, concentrating to write the way it should be, instead of what he really wanted to say.

In this case, to say that he was in love with Harry.

Completely in love. 

The specific moment in which it occurred he couldn’t say, probably in some random encounter in which they had in Professor Sprout’s greenhouse, while drinking coffee amid silences and smiles, or when the two chattered excitedly about their mutual passion for Quidditch, bursting out laughing at anything or nothing. At some of those moments, the friendship and fondness he had for the boy turned into something else, like added a final ingredient in a potion.

And for obvious reasons, he couldn't dump that information on Harry by means of a letter - it would have to be in person, and at a more appropriate time.

And how and when that moment would be, only Merlin knew.

Breathing deeply, Cedric looked down, watching his father clean his glasses with the trim of his cape.

“Will they be long, dad?”

“Probably not...” Amos said in a good mood as he looked up, seeing Cedric lying comfortably on the branch of the tree “But I bet some of them must have forgotten to set the alarm!”

Cedric gave a half smile, looking ahead again.

That same night the long-awaited final of the Quidditch World Cup would take place, and Amos Diggory had arranged for him and his son two tickets to watch the match between Bulgaria and Ireland, as a way to give a gift in advance to the boy, who would turn 17 in September; In addition to the two of them, Arthur Weasley and his children would also come - in whom Cedric knew by sight, having a little more proximity to the twins due to them playing Quidditch for the Gryffindor’s time , but nothing more than something superficial.

Although genuinely happy because of that early gift, he was still upset with himself for not doing anything on Harry's birthday, which turned 14 on July 31. Cedric had sent a letter a few days in advance asking about the possibility of him going to visit him at the home of his Muggle relatives, where he would take his gift as they could spend an afternoon together.

Harry's reply had arrived the next day through a note written in a nervous manner, pleading with him not to come, as well as saying that he would meet him at Hogwarts.

He was upset, of course, because it would be the boy's first birthday since they learned of the bond they had and thus an opportunity for them to be even closer than they were... And also because he wished he could spend a few hours with Harry in somewhere other than a greenhouse.

Even feeling sad, he understood and sent Harry a beautiful letter in which he wished a ‘Happy Birthday’ together with chocolates that the boy liked, keeping the gift he bought in the bottom of his trunk, to deliver it when they were at Hogwarts.

As he distractedly shaken his leg, Cedric began to hear the buzz of voices that grew louder with each approach.

“ARTHUR!!!” Amos's voice was loud when he saw the Weasley patriarch leading the small caravan that followed him “It’s about time, son!!!”

“Sorry, Amos!” Arthur replied in a good mood, looking back “Some of us had a bit of a sleepy start!”

The red-haired man approached Amos, extending his arm in his direction.

“This is Amos Diggory, everyone…” Arthur said to the other teenagers, shaking Amos's hand “Works with me at the Ministry.”

Cedric released his breath, leaping from the branch of the tree and landing with his mastery standing next to his father.

“…And this strapping young lad must be Cedric, am I right?” Arthur said when he saw him, extending his hand to him.

“Yes sir!” Cedric replied with a smile as he shook the man's hand.

The Diggory’s heir continued to smile as he turned his gaze to the rest of the group, seeing the Weasley twins , Ginny, the youngest, Ron, his friend Hermione and...

Cedric felt his heart skip a beat, his eyes widened.

Behind the others, next to Ron and Hermione, was _Harry_, just a few feet away after weeks of being apart. 

Cedric felt his smile stretched to the maximum in genuine joy, exposing his beautiful teeth as Hermione and Ginny exchanged a brief look of female conspiracy to see how beautiful he was.

Not that he noticed.

His eyes were fixed on Harry and only Harry, who blushed as he smiled and lowered his gaze shyly, hiding his hands in his jacket pockets.

“Hi...” Cedric greeted everyone, still feeling stunned by that surprise.

They all responded back except Fred and George, they were still sullen with the fact Hufflepuff have won the Gryffindor in the match in which Harry fell off his broom.

“Are all your children Arthur?” Amos asked.

“Every little redhead!” he replied proudly to the children, pointing later to his guests who approached them “Less Hermione, Ron's friend, aaaand Harry...”

Amos's eyes widened when he saw Harry approach a little, while Cedric practically held his breath while controlling the physical urge to hug Harry the way they did when they saw each other.

“Harry?” the Diggory patriarch babbled “You mean _Harry Potter?”_

Harry shook his head, blushing even more when he said ‘Pleased to meet you, Mr. Diggory’, while Cedric kept his smile.

“Merlin’s beard!!! My Ced here told me all about you and the match you had last year…” Amos put his hand on his son's shoulder “I said to him: 'Ced, this is something you will one day tell your grandchildren... You **defeated **Harry Potter!' 

Cedric's eyes widened, feeling very embarrassed by the way his father spoke, as if he were the one who had mounted the broom and lived the glory of that victory in which Cedric wasn’t so proud. The boy looked at Harry, expecting to see annoyance on his face just like Fred and George had, but instead he looked happy and shy as he looked at Amos and discreetly at him.

Cedric had to hold back the urge to laugh as a thought of a cheeky answer crossed his mind: _Well Dad, you can bet that one day Harry and I‘ll tell to our children and grandchildren how it all happened'_. 

Oohh... He would give a galleon to see his father's reaction to hearing that!

“Dad, that's not exactly what happened... Harry fell off his broom because of the dementors, you know that, I told you myself several times.” Cedric said looking at his father steadily.

“It may be, but you didn't fall, did you?” Amos bragged with his sharp tongue “Always modest, our Ced, always a gentleman... But won the best, I'm sure Harry would say the same, won't you, Harry? One falls off the broom, the other remains firm and strong. You don't have to be a genius to know who flies better... No offense, just facts...”

Cedric clenched his jaw while Fred and George were about to start a long argument if it weren't for Arthur interfering, telling them to go to the portkey immediately while directing Amos over the shoulder, followed by the teenagers. Cedric looked at Harry in an apology, while Harry just shrugged with a slight smile, being accompanied by Ron who yawned and complained about having to wake up so early.

He wanted _so much to be _able to talk to Harry at that moment, ask about when he had arrived and even when he would be staying at Ottery St. Catchpole, wanted to know what his birthday day was like, wanted to be able to hug him the way they did when he saw each other... Cedric wanted many things, but the only thing you can do is maintain his discretion while walking a few steps behind Harry, so he can keep his eyes on the boy. 

It didn't take long for them to find the portkey at the top of the nearby hill.

When touching the old boot, Cedric felt the familiar sensation of being pulled by a hook while the space around him distorted, being transported to another place in the country. Portkey’s travels was something he was used to, but he couldn't wait to pass his apparition exam when he reached his magical age, a less uncomfortable method than that.

While he, his father and Mr. Weasley floated in the air softly after they had let out the boot, the rest had been thrown to the field along with their backpacks, as well Harry, who had fallen on his back, visibly pale and nauseated by the journey, groping the grass while looking for his glasses.

When he put his feet on the ground, Cedric walked directly towards Harry, crouching down to pick up his glasses and placing them on the younger boy's face, who smiled when he could see again with definition and even more when he saw him, their faces close to each other for a few seconds.

Harry was still the same, but he also looked a little different.

His hair was longer as well as there was something in the contours of his face that made him look less childish than when he last saw him. Cedric wanted to look at him for a longer time, to discover every subtle change of the features, as well as to bring his fingers to the mass of dark, unruly hair, but he was prevented by the voices around him that implicitly warned him that it wasn’t the best time.

Clearing his throat, the older boy returned to the reality of the moment.

“Let me help you.” he said, extending his hand so that Harry could rise from the grass, which was immediately accepted.

Brief seconds of physical contact were enough for the two to let their breath escape between their lips while their magic core seemed to have reacted when they met after weeks apart. The bond they shared seemed to have grown stronger and clearer, leaving Cedric gaping and Harry's eyes wide.

“C’mon Harry!!!” Ron's voice complained in the background, while Harry blinked stunned as he seemed to regain consciousness.

“I... I have to go...” he murmured, holding the backpack strap shyly.

“Me too...” Cedric said with a slight smile “See you later?”

“Yes! See you later!” Harry replied happily as if it were a promise he intended to keep, then walked towards his own group.

Cedric watched the boy leave, starting to walk towards his father, who kept on chattering about something, passing through the various tents camped along the field near the stadium.

The day would be glorious.

.................

The match between Bulgaria and Ireland was exciting.

After spending the afternoon wandering around the food stalls and itinerant shops in the camp, Cedric felt an electrifying energy in being in a stadium crowded with thousands of wizards and witches singing anthems from their teams as well as shouting and cheering at each point marked and defense successful.

Cedric was also surprised to find that Harry could be extremely passionate when watching a game, shouting every time someone missed a pass so he would utter dirty curses along with Ron, who was as red as his hair was when he saw his idol, the Bugarian seeker, Viktor Krum.

At one point, while everyone kept their eyes on the game, Cedric stealthily moved next to Harry, who stopped looking at the game and started looking at him curiously.

The hufflepuff said nothing, just raised his eyebrows as if he were doing nothing while holding onto the bleachers' protective railing, leaning casually his body towards the smaller boy. Harry in turn smiled, looking back at the match, while his hand slowly moved to where Cedric's hand was, causing the older boy to widen his gray eyes and smile even more.

If there was no such commotion over the game, probably those around them would have noticed that they had their little fingers intertwined, smiling as they looked forward like two mischievous boys doing something forbidden. They stayed that way until the end of the game.

Although Krum captured the snitch, Ireland had managed to win the match by a small scoring advantage, causing Bulgarian fans to lament loudly while the Irish and their fans screamed in euphoria, ending so the 1994 Quidditch World Cup final.

As the crowds began to empty the stadium, Cedric felt a sudden burst of courage as he gently held Harry's wrist, pulling him closer to him.

_"What's it?" _he asked in surprise as they walked side by side.

_"Meet me in 20 minutes in front of the camp entrance ..." _he replied, his voice heaving as if he was surprised at himself. 

_"Oh... I... I'm going to talk to Ron and Hermione and..."_

_"No, Harry... Just you. I... I just want to see you!” _Cedric said quietly, casting a warm smile _"I'll wait for you there..."_

Cedric continued with his plan, telling Amos that he would go for a walk around the camp with some friends he had met, which wasn’t a lie, in fact, but a strategic concealment of certain details.

And so he did.

The camp entrance was at the top of the hill, close to the place where they had arrived through the portkey. Cedric chose that place for the simple reason that the camp itself was in a widespread riot of music, laughter and euphoric shouts from the fans who were still celebrating the outcome of the match, making it inappropriate to have a quiet date with the younger boy.

And being calm was what I needed most at that moment.

He felt very restless, anxious and nervous as if at any moment he was going to break out in a loud laugh or run away from there, his emotions coming into conflict as this would be the first time he had been alone with Harry since he realized that he was in love with him.

Close to come the time, Cedric had held his breath when he saw Harry emerge through the long rows of tents, climbing the steep hill in energetic steps, trying to reach there as quickly as possible. When he arrived, Cedric saw him smile in a breathless way, his cheeks flushed from exercise as well as there was a feverish gleam in his green eyes.

Harry looked vibrant, happy.

“H-hi!” he greeted him, breathing through his mouth as he approached the boy.

“Hi, Harry...” Cedric replied softly, trying to mask how electric he felt.

“N-no... Couldn't you have chosen a place closer?” Harry said breathlessly, looking around.

Cedric laughed, taking a step forward to hold Harry's hands, finally being able to do that without worrying about others around him.

“Sorry. I just thought it would be better here, because it’s more peaceful than down there.” he replied, his long fingers tenderly stroking the younger boy's small hands.

“I should have... Come by broom.” he said still panting, looking at him with a mischievous smile “And speaking of broom, what game was that?! Did you see that maneuver that Krum did, the Wronski Feint?! I recorded everything with my omnioculars to see later... I think I’ll practice that as soon as I get back to Hogwarts.”

Cedric's eyes widened.

Wronski Feint was one of the most risky maneuvers within Quidditch, responsible for several accidents. The thought of Harry trying to do something like that almost made him sweat.

“Are you going mad?!” Cedric gasped “You can't do that, it's ... It's too dangerous!”

“What is?” Harry narrowed his eyes in amusement, tilting his head to the side when he saw him “Do you think I can't do?”

“Yes... I mean, **no**! Well, what I mean is…” 

“Well... I can't be a great flier like you, Ced, after all I fell off the broom, but that doesn't mean that I am that bad at all...”

Cedric felt his face heat up with shame when he understood what the boy was saying.

“Oh, Harry... About today earlier with my father, my sincere apologies” he said, lifting the wizard's hands close to his chest, looking at the lawn “He... He leaves those ideas go up, exaggerate in many things and speak without thinking...”

Harry narrowed his eyes at him and laughed softly, shaking his head slowly.

"Don't worry, Ced, it's okay..." he said calmly.

“No, it's not... I should have been more emphatic with him and...”

“Hey! Seriously everything is fine!” Harry said placing his fingers on the taller boy's forehead, making him look at him “And I'm not hurt...”

Cedric frowned.

“I thought it was nice, actually. Your father is so proud of you... So proud of how brilliant you are!” Harry said fondly, while Cedric looked at him in awe and bewildered by those words “He even made me...”

Cedric noticed that Harry's smile had become wistful, he looked away as if he wanted to get rid of the thought.

”…even made you?”

“It’s nothing...”

“Hey...” Cedric whispered, caressing his hands “You know that you can talk to me, don’t you?”

The green-eyed boy sighed, looking back at him.

“It made me even a little jealous... It made me wonder if my dad would speak the same way about me...” Harry spoke softly “If he and my mom would be proud of me.”

Cedric was silent when he reflected on what he had heard.

Harry spoke very rarely of his deceased parents to him, just as he never pressured him to talk about it. But the few times they talked, they made Cedric realize things he had never thought about before.

Cedric - as well as a whole generation of wizards and witches - grew up listening to the legend of the Boy-Who-Lived, who as a baby was able to defeat the abominable You-Know-Who, freeing the wizarding world from one of the greatest dark wizard since Grindelwald, bringing peace to everyone.

He knew the story, but since he met Harry he can understand how terribly _tragic _the reality of the facts was: if the wizarding world had this relative peace, it was because James and Lily Potter were betrayed by their best friend, murdered in cold blood over try to protect Harry... And Harry can't even remember them well. 

The boy missed two people in whom he had few memories about... Something utterly sad and rather cruel.

“They would be proud of you.” Cedric said - They _are _proud of you, wherever they are now...” 

Harry's sad countenance was gradually replaced by a wistful smile.

"That's what Snuffles told me..." Harry murmured tenderly.

“Who's Snuffles?” Cedric asked confused.

Harry's eyes widened as if he had said something wrong.

“It's nobody... Nobody important.” he hurried to say.

“Hm...”

Harry sighed as he closed his eyes.

“The fact is: I’m not hurt by what your father said.” The boy went on, blushing as he seemed shyer “I just hope that one day he can like me, even if it’s a little bit...”

“I'm sure he will” Cedric said, feeling a little irritated by the possibility of Amos boycotting his future relationship with Harry. “It is impossible for someone not to like you, Harry.”

Harry blinked his eyes in disbelief and laughed, throwing his head back as if he had heard something absurd.

“Ooooh Ced... We both know it is not so!” he countered when he stopped laughing.

Cedric laughed as he shrugged.

“Yeah, you’re right... You’re the cause of confusion wherever you go...” he teased, raising his eyebrow. “It surprises me for you still be here and alive.”

“Meee?” Harry blinked his eyes innocently.

“Yeah, you, and don't act like an innocent, Harry... I already know you too well and I know that you almost went to Slytherin as ‘cunning’ as you are” the hufflepuff boy narrowed his eyes conspiratorially.”

“Urgh , I shouldn't have told you this secret!”

“Too late, my love...” Cedric said automatically, not even noticing the affectionate nickname sliding on his tongue.

Harry blushed even more, laughing out loud and making the older one laugh with him.

It was what Cedric missed...

He missed the flow of easy laughs he had beside Harry, he missed how _light _and happy the boy made him feel, how much tenderness there was in each look, the kindness in each smile, even his physical presence made him feel _good._

It made him feel _complete _and right.

Cedric took Harry's hand again, comparing the size of the two as he joined his palms together, feeling the flow of magic react actively with the contact they shared.

“Merlin...” Cedric whispered, looking at the younger's face while his voice was choked by that emotion constricted in his chest “You have no idea _how much _I missed you.” 

Harry bit his lower lip, while Cedric used his free arm to gently embrace him.

"I missed you too..." Harry said softly, staring into the warm gray eyes that looked at him “Very much.”

Cedric smiled slightly, while Harry breathed through parted lips.

"Really?" He asked humbly.

Harry smiled at him as he nodded, making Cedric’s heart beat even faster.

The two of them stayed for long seconds looking at each other in silence, in that kind of semi-embrace that they did at the top of the hill.

“You’re taller than I remembered, Ced...” Harry said at random and in slight amazement, seeming aware of the difference in height between the two. 

“You're the one who hasn't grown much...” Cedric replied, this time watching Harry more carefully.

Unlike the other boys who seemed to be successfully passing through the growth phase, Harry remained small for his age: he was no more than 5’3, thin and with a delicate frame, hidden by clothes that were too big for him, like a child wearing adult clothes.

“Are you being well fed Harry?” Cedric asked worriedly, his hands touching the tiny waist that was camouflaged by the layers of thick clothing. He could have sworn that Harry was a little more robust and healthy on the last time he saw him at King’s Cross.

“Y-yeah, I’m..." Harry assured him, somewhat embarrassed.

“Well... I care about you. I don't want to have to put food in your throat every time we meet in the greenhouse, not that I care, but...” Cedric joked.

Harry looked at him in bewilderment.

“Why?”

Cedric smiled as if it were obvious.

“You are important to me, duuh...” he replied hugging him protectively.

Harry was silent, leaning his forehead on the broad shoulder, taking a deep breath as he inhaled Cedric's masculine scent.

“But I think your hair grew longer than you...” Cedric whispered playfully, leaning his warm lips against the root line of the Gryffindor's rebellious hair, which practically purred with that ghost of an innocent kiss while keeping his eyes closed.

“Uh... I-I... I'll cut before we get back to Hogwarts... I know it's awful.” Harry said immediately.

“Hmm...” Cedric took his hand to Harry's hair, his fingers combing the long locks while the tip of his index finger traced an imaginary line on the delicate skin of the neck “I liked, actually...”

_'Like everything about you... ' _he thought, moistening his lips. 

At some point while they were silent, fireworks were launched, coloring the camp sky with synchronized bursts of light and sparkles while people were still singing happy sounds.

Cedric swallowed hard as he felt his heart jump in his chest, his eyes fixed on Harry's face when he saw how beautiful he was at that moment, his face being lit by the fireworks, his intense green eyes looking brighter... Fifty years would pass and he would still remember that image with perfect accuracy, he could tell to their future children the details...

He would have remembered holding Harry by the waist while the boy stood on tiptoes, wrapping his arms around his neck.

He would remember hesitation, nervousness, fear and desire as they slowly approached their faces, their foreheads touching.

He would also remember the first time he felt the texture of Harry's lips pressed against his, gradually giving way to the warmth of their tongues coming together in what was their first kiss, a part of himself proud and honored to have had Harry's first kiss... His Harry, his soulmate.

When the kiss ended little by little, Cedric felt Harry snuggle further into his arms, hiding his face in the fold of his neck, making him shiver when he felt the wizard's warm breath on his skin. Closing his eyes, the Hufflepuff seeker pressed his cheek to the top of Harry's head, smelling the dark hair.

It made him smile.

Cedric was still very young and he knew nothing about life beyond what he had read in the books and he hadn’t seen much of the world except his home town or Hogwarts. But he felt, no, he **knew **that his future was being outlined at that very moment when he kissed Harry... He knew that from that day on, the little Gryffindor would be the only one he wanted to be with. 

“Always...” Cedric whispered the thought to himself, gently squeezing Harry's body.

“Hm?”

Cedric sighed, opening his eyes again, lowering his head to see him.

“I... I have something to say, okay?”

Harry nodded for him to proceed.

“You’re unique, precious... And perfect for me.” He whispered, his words trembling with nervousness, but still full of absolute certainty “And I'm happy... So, so happy, because of all the people in this world, it’s _you _who is my soulmate.” 

Harry moistened his lips, widening his eyes as the fireworks continued to explode in the sky.

“What I mean... What I mean is that I'm in love with you, Harry...” Cedric confessed.

Long seconds of silence followed.

"Wow... That's... Wow..." Harry gasped, raising his eyebrows as he looked down.

Cedric swallowed, feeling nervous every second with the fear that he'd screwed up. Harry frowned, as if facing a huge text written in ancient runes that he had to translate at that moment.

But soon he was relieved to see that Harry started to smile.

“I think it's too late to continue being just friends, isn't it?” the boy said quietly.

Cedric nodded. That kiss had made him realize that just being friends with Harry was insufficient for all the feelings and desires he had for the boy.

He wanted more.

He wanted to be able to hug him more, kiss him more, he wanted so much that he didn't even know for sure.

“Yes... I think that the two of us can't be 'just' friends anymore.” he said shyly.

“Oh...” Harry exclaimed thoughtfully “So... That kind of makes things easier, doesn't it?”

“Hm?”

“You... Well, you, uh, you're in love with me... And and I...”

“And you...?” he asked, full of hope.

“And I... I'm... I'm in love with you too.” the boy whispered.

“Really?”

Harry nodded.

“

“For a while, I think I already knew...” he confessed “I knew that what I feel for... That what I feel for you is much more than I could feel for a friend... Or for anyone...”

“Oh, Harry...!!!” Cedric gasped, feeling the joy begin to bubble in his chest.

“And if we can no longer just be friends...” Harry continued “So... So the only thing we can be is...”

Harry fell silent, taking a deep breath.

“Y-you know... Uh ... D-do yo-you...” he stumbled on the words “Merlin, this is hard...”

Cedric smiled to the point of making his eyes compress, I understand what he meant so much.

“Harry?”

“Uh?”

“Would you like me to ask for you?”

Harry sighed, relieved to be released from that burden.

“Go on...” the Gryffindor seeker replied in a more relaxed tone “Just don't get on your knees and pull a ring or something, or I’ll run, I'm serious...”

Cedric laughed and took a deep breath, summoning up his courage and calm to make said those words which he practiced so much during the entire summer.

“Okay...” he said looking him in the eyes “Harry... Would you do me the great honor of accepting me as your... As your boyfriend?”

Harry seemed much calmer, tugging lightly on the collar of the older boy’s jacket so that he tilted his head down and could kiss him, giving an answer that Cedric longed for: they were, from that moment on, more than friends and if he thought about it, they were more than just boyfriends.

There was no turning back.

From that moment on, Cedric and Harry went from being singular individuals to becoming something more complex and profound than an apparent couple of teenagers in love. They were in fact teenagers in love, but what they had was more complex, more intimate and powerful than their age and circumstances might suggest: a soul bond.

He can feel all the joy, euphoria, desire, admiration and passion that emanated from Harry while kissing him, strengthening more and more the bond that they had and in which they had developed over the previous year.

_‘My Harry... My darling Harry...’ _Cedric echoed the words of the letters in which he had written, but never sent, feeling the happiness of knowing that they wouldn’t be necessary now, as he could tell the wizard in person. 

For long minutes they were united in that tight embrace, as if they didn't want any of them to escape or to be sure that it wasn't a dream, as it was hard to believe that reality could be as wonderful as that moment. If he could, Cedric would freeze time at that moment, the happiest moment of his life so far.

“I have to go back...” Harry whispered after a while.

Cedric sighed, feeling sad that it had to come to an end.

“I'll take you to the Weasleys’ tent.” he whispered in a breath , kissing the younger boy's forehead.

“There’s no need Ced...” Harry laughed softly “I remember the way.”

Cedric puffed out his chest, placing his large, warm palm on the side of the boy's face.

“I'm your boyfriend now...” he said, not bothering to hide his pride in every word he said “And you heard my father say earlier: I'm always a gentleman... So put that in your pipe & smoke it!!!”

Harry laughed and said nothing, allowing himself to be guided by him as he walked beside him in slow steps, as if they wanted to prolong the maximum time they spent together. After crossing the camp, they stopped a few feet from the Weasleys' tent. Cedric made sure there were no one around and pulled Harry by the waist, fondly kissing him once more before saying goodbye.

The dark-haired wizard reluctantly broke away from the kiss and his arms, walking back to the tent without giving him one last good night. Cedric smiled, turning the other way and walking to the place where his tent was camped, his mind totally dispersed and light.

“Ced , my boy!!!” Amos greeted to see his son emerge from the tent, while he buttoned his pajamas so he could sleep “How was your walk with friends?”

Cedric didn’t answer, walking over to the chair and falling into the seat, placing both hands behind the neck in a completely relaxed posture, a triumphant smile on his face.

“Ced?” Amos narrowed his eyes in an intriguing way, seeing his son with bright gray eyes and flushed cheeks, as if he were vibrating with a deep emotion “Ced...?”

The boy slowly moved his head in his direction.

“Yes, Dad?” he said in a scattered tone.

“It's all right?”

Cedric blinked and laughed.

“Yes... I'm fine...” he said with a huge smile “Actually much, much more than fine!!! This is the **best **day of my life... Thank you! Thank you very much!!!” 

“Oh, it was nothing Ced...” Amos laughed to himself “You deserve it, son... It's not every year that my boy turns 17... Ahhhh , I still remember when I was your age... Golden times, Ced, golden times!!!”

Cedric was silent, his eyes fixed on a random spot in the tent, obviously not hearing a word he had said.

“Hmmm... Apparently it wasn't just because of the game...” Amos murmured while raising his eyebrows.

“Hm?”

"Did it have to do with a mysterious young lass who owns a white owl that you exchanged letters with during the entire summer, Ced?"

Cedric laughed out loud, throwing his head back as he put his hands on his belly.

Amos Diggory had the impressive ability to be incredibly right and wrong at the same time in various situations and that was a perfect example of that.

“Ooooh, Dad... That's none of your business.” he replied boldly, winking at the older Diggory.

“Of course it is my business... I am your father!”

Cedric didn't answer, smiling dreamily as he looked ahead, his fingers caressing his lips as he remembered Harry's sweet lips.

“Uhhhhhh , someone is in loooove...” Amos hummed, causing his son to roll his eyes as he stood up, taking off his jacket “I hope I can meet her, huh?!”

“You guys already met...” Cedric hummed back, delighted to see his father's eyes widen in confusion at the information.

_‘His chin would fall on the floor if he knew...’ _he thought in amusement. 

“I know?! Who is it?”

Cedric shook his head, feeling a slight taste of victory with that secret.

“Ced...!!!” Amos protested.

"Only when the right time is set, Mr. Amos...” he said, leaving Amos indignant.

A part of Cedric's mind thanked Harry for asking him not to tell anyone that they were soulmates. If Amos knew , he would probably be more proud and pompous than a peacock, thundering to everyone who he met that the famous Harry Potter was his son's mate, and blah blah blah...

At the right time, when the time came, they would tell.

But for now...

“Don't worry Dad... At the right ti-”

A loud explosion from outside interrupted him.

“Something tells me that the Irish will not let us sleep tonight...” Cedric snorted, predicting a sleepless night thanks to the fans “I knew I should have brought my earmuffs...”

Amos frowned, raising his index finger upward in silence.

They still heard explosions, but there was something different about the sound, as it didn't look like fireworks.

And there was also the sound of screams.

But they weren’t screams of celebration or singing... They were screams of panic, of dread, followed by more explosions and fuses.

Cedric gradually felt the shock when he realized that something bad was happening outside.

“Ced, get your things now!!!” Amos ordered urgently, drawing his wand while flying his belongings from all corners and stuffing it in his backpack.

He imitated his father, nimbly taking his objects and storing them, holding his wand in anxiety.

The two Diggorys left the tent, becoming frightened to see that people were running in terror from all directions, while the tents not far from there were bombed, sending fire and shrapnel everywhere and loud screams seemed to multiply.

Cedric felt Amos grab him by the forearm, dragging him in one direction as they forced his legs to run as fast as possible.

“WE HAVE TO REACH THE PORTKEY!!!” Amos shouted.

The teenager ran with him, bumping into several people on the way, but suddenly stopped looking back.

_‘HARRY!!!’,_ his mind screamed forcing him to follow in the opposite direction in which followed, while could feel the panic echo in which Harry was going through at that time, leaving him desperate. 

He needed Harry, he wouldn't leave if he was sure that the boy was safe.

“CEDRIC!!! COME BACK!!!! COME BACK HERE!!!” Amos shouted , seeing his son away from him, forcing him to follow him.

Cedric ran through the tents, bumping into more desperate people along the way as Amos ran as fast as possible to reach him.

The tent where Weasleys was a little over 100 meters ahead, a little more and he could reach it, if it weren't for feeling a tight grip on his arm as he pulled him back.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! WE HAVE TO LEAVE HERE!!!” Amos shouted , turning it forward.

“LET ME GO!”

“LET'S GO!!! WE HAVE TO GO BACK !!!” Amos pulled him , followed by an explosion, causing the two to crouch on the ground and cover their heads to protect themselves.

Still on the floor, Cedric blinked his eyes in disorientation, looking around to see what had happened. 

And he saw it.

A group of individuals dressed in skull masks and pointed hats carried torches as they raised their wands high, making an unconscious Muggle family float over their heads.

Cedric knew who those people were, as he had seen in some newspapers as well as heard descriptions from his father's coworkers, but even seeing that in person he couldn’t believe it.

_Death Eaters._

And then a green light flashed overhead as if hundreds of fireworks had exploded at the same time, then revealing a macabre figure in the sky, bright as a constellation: a huge skull in which a snake came out of its mouth, snaking through the clouds like a danger sign.

A prophetic sign of danger.

**...**

**...**

**...**

** _CURRENT TIME_ **

Cedric lowered the newspaper in his hands with a tired sigh, while his fingers massaged the wrinkled forehead. On his lap, the sensationalist headline written more than 15 years ago by Rita Skeeter still displayed the photograph of the Dark Mark hovering in the sky in a frightening way.

The 1994 Quidditch World Cup was one of the happiest moments of his life.

It was the night he had kissed Harry for the first time.

It was the night they confessed that they were in love with each other.

It was the night he had become Harry's boyfriend.

But looking back, he realized he should have seen subsequent events as a warning... A clear sign that the danger was to prowl the two of them, that he should’ve protected his Harry with all the resources he had, he should’ve run away for good with the boy. 

If he knew... 

If only he knew...!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3  
Hope you guys like it! :)


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